Retirement Card for Joe Vale
Joseph George Vale (1918-1998) was born a Lutheran of English heritage in Kitchener but joined the Mennonite community when his family moved to the Arthur area. From August 6 to December 6 1941, he was part of the third group of Alternative Service workers (conscientious objectors) serving at the Montreal River Alternative Service Work Camp. From February to March 1947, he was a "seagoing cowboy" on the ship Plymouth Victory, sailing to Athens, Greece. The "cowboys" were men who volunteered to serve aboard cattle boats carrying livestock to war-torn parts of the world after the Second World War.The cowboys of the Plymouth Victory held several reunions beginning in 1947. Vale and his wife Sarah (Bauman) attended many together. The couple, married in 1953, lived in Bloomingdale, Ontario and had seven children.
This information was obtained online via Conrad Grebel College, University of Waterloo Archives.
Approximately 3 1/2 x 2 inches